They're kind of cheesy, but some of the questions in Quizland.com's Rock Trivia and Yetanotherdot.com's '80s Lyrics Quiz are actually rather stumpifying.

Such as: What act holds the record for most #2 records without ever hitting #1?
Ummm.... The Carpenters? Nope.

and what "don't feel like it should"? Oh right, "loooove"
(ok, that was an easy one but a lot of these I had no idea)

See if your musical knowledge is as sharp as you think it is:

'80s Lyric Quiz

Rock Trivia

Bonus: These are a good way to look like you're concentrating hard at work. Just make sure your boss can't see your monitor (heh heh, hi Ted!).

Fix Extended Play is a new online video music magazine hosted by Douglas Caballero for a company called Current. The premiere episode (view all 21 minutes of it here) includes feature-y segments on Portland punks the Thermals, M.I.A.-ish electro diva Santogold, UK electronic-pop chameleons Hot Chip (surprisingly hyping experimental-noise unit Gang Gang Dance) and shamrock punks Dropkick Murphys.

Next week's ish goes live Tuesday March 11 at 7 p.m. PT, and features Moby, Spoon, Diplo, Radical Face and Current’s user-generated concert film All Eyes On: My Morning Jacket.

Fix's aesthetic is firmly middle of the "alternative" road: slightly edgy, but not really transgressive or digging too deeply into the underground. It's more Blender than The Wire or Arthur. Maybe that will change over time—or maybe Fix will become more conservative with its coverage. Obviously, it's too soon to make any definitive judgments. Whatever the case, I'll be keeping a close eye (maybe even two of 'em) on Fix to see how it develops.

Also, if Fix is the future of music journalism (or a major part of said future—and the present, to be honest), it makes this print-oriented bastard ambivalent and a little uneasy. Like, how would my monotone voice and scraggly beard go over on the little terminal screen? Excuse me while I fret...

Hear dozens of covers of Brian Jonestown Massacre songs by artists from all over the world here.

Obsessive is as obsessive does. You know Newport Beach-born BJM leader Anton Newcombe is eating this up...

Below is an instructive snippet from the documentary Dig!

Paul Tingen, author of the thoroughly engaging and perceptive Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis 1967-1991, has graciously linked to my review of the late, great trumpeter's The Complete On The Corner Sessions boxed set on his website.

I'm currently reading Miles Beyond (thanks, Nick) and, even though I've read the musical legend's autobiography, I'm learning a helluva lot more about Miles, his recording processes and his huge and hugely talented, rotating cast of band mates than I thought was possible. Anyone interested in Miles and the vast amount of innovative and controversial music he created in his final quarter century should read Tingen's tome. By no means a Davis cheerleader, Tingen is rather a tough yet fair scrutinizer of the man's work and ideas.

Jamphat dissects some crucial issues in the often enigmatic world of hip-hop.

Any questions?

Tip: Skye in Seattle.

The recently launched FlogMusic.com hopes to become “the most comprehensive review-aggregator on the Internet,” according to San Francisco-based owner/founder Kara Murphy. At the core of this ambitious project resides the touchingly naïve belief that most people still have faith in the expertise of professional music critics. As a critic myself, I support what FlogMusic.com is attempting to do and wish it the best of luck. As an outside observer, I have doubts this site will catch on in a major way or usurp metacritic.com, although I hope I'm wrong. Let a thousand music-criticism aggregators bloom.

Murphy says FlogMusic will differ from all other such sites “because it breaks music down by genre so people know what's out right now. The charts, according to Billboard and Dusted Magazine, let people know what's especially popular.”

Anyway, for the curious, you can view what publications it will be mining for opinions (this list will expand, Murphy notes) and its rating system here. Flog will also have a blog.

After the jump is the press release. Go forth and read and consume.

Chris Alfaro, putting on airs.

Santa Ana musician/DJ/entrepreneur Free the Robots (Chris Alfaro) alerts us that his soon-coming club/restaurant The Crosby now has a video blog (wittily titled Kenny Bloggins) that will provide several entertaining hours of “mindless escapism.” It includes the first episode of Free the Robots Cribs: Essential viewing. And it's not like you have anything better to do, slacker.

Blank Blue, soon to be rocking Europe with Prefuse 73. Photo by Plastic Nancy

Dublab is an excellent web radio station run by some of SoCal's most skilled musicians and DJs, many of whom will be touring Europe with Prefuse 73 Sept. 1-15. Touring Europe isn't cheap without label support, so the Labrats (as they call themselves) are holding a benefit podcast Tuesday Aug. 21. Your donation will bring you a gift and the satisfaction of helping these worthy artists to crack some European domes. Check out the press release after the jump for all the info.

The Crate Kings site is a national treasure. Scratch that: it's an intergalactic treasure. Somebody (or a team of individuals perhaps) with a lot of time on his hands and the kind of obsessiveness I admire almost more than anything else in the world encoded to MP3 snippets of 300 breakbeats that form the foundation of hip-hop. Hello, Mr. Nobel? I would like to nominate the cat(s) behind this Herculean project for one of your medals. Please look into it.

Scrutinize the names here and you'll see many of the usual suspects associated with hip-hop's genesis (James Brown, the Meters, Sly & the Family Stone, Funkadelic, Kool and the Gang, Billy Squier) and some totally WTF? entries (Billy Joel, Annette Peacock, Thin Lizzy, Christine McVie, Black Oak Arkansas [bottom photo], Spooky Tooth, Turtles, Tommy Roe [top photo]). This cornucopia of diverse artists illustrates hip-hop's mongrel nature and pays tribute to the original producers and DJs who could locate minuscule segments of greatness from sometimes otherwise dud songs lurking in unexpected realms of the sonic universe.

The guy(s) behind Crate Kings are essentially shattering hip-hop's mystique (what little there is that's left, anyway), but it's all for the greater good of humanity. Many of these beats are still being used today, and even if they're totally played out in a sheer numerical sense, they never exhaust their headnod-ability. Give the drummer some, but don't forget to break off a slice for the diggers who isolated their handiwork for posterity (and posteriors).

Herb Alpert horns in on this internet jazz.

Pop-jazz trumpeter and former A&M Records exec Herb Alpert flexes his philanthropic and entrepreneurial muscles with a new project called ArtistsHouseMusic.org, which goes live May 1. It looks like a comprehensive, one-stop resource for aspiring musicians and those seeking entry into the business side of the industry. Many kinds of practical advice will be provided by a learned panel of music-biz vets (including Randy Newman, Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, and Bob Jamieson) and academics with real-world experience. "No matter what the area of musical interest, the site aims to help further careers, or personal and professional music interest with content that is responsive to the needs of its community," claims a company representative.

You can learn more about this endeavor in ArtistsHouseMusic.org's official press release below or by visiting the site.

***
First-of-its-kind Online Musician's and Music Business Resource Site

to Revolutionize Path to Success

ArtistsHouseMusic.org, the first free, comprehensive, and interactive online community for musicians and music business enthusiasts officially launches May 1. ArtistsHouseMusic.org is the only Web site providing expert advice from some of the most successful music entrepreneurs and educators in the country. Songwriting basics, how to book and promote gigs, the ins and outs of copyrighting and contracts, how to audition successfully, and how to become an effective music educator are just a few of the myriad subjects covered on the site. The site's conception and funding for its development comes from The Herb Alpert Foundation. Named after the 1960s SoHo performance space founded by legendary saxophonist and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner Ornette Coleman, ArtistsHouseMusic.org builds on Coleman's original vision of a communal and collaborative approach to creating music. The Artists House site captures the same spirit as its SoHo incarnation, in a version fit for the online world. "When I was a young musician in 1950s Los Angeles, there were very few places to turn to for advice or knowledge on how to break into the music business," said world-renowned trumpet player and music icon Herb Alpert. "ArtistsHouseMusic.org fills a giant void in the online music education community. For the first time, expert information on building a career in music is accessible to everyone through the ease of the internet. This information would have been invaluable to me early on in my career."

As the music business continues to evolve, artists are increasingly taking their careers into their own hands. ArtistsHouseMusic.org is unique for its cutting edge technology, appeal to musicians of all genres, and for addressing an extensive array of careers in music. Through articles, up to the minute blogs and interviews, site visitors can access the minds of music luminaries like Lawrence Lessig, Donald Passman, Glen Ballard, Chris Blackwell, and Randy Newman.

The expertise and successes of its contributors makes ArtistsHouseMusic.org the most credible source of top-notch information on every facet of the music business. ArtistsHouseMusic.org offers tools and direction for people at any skill or experience level that can be put to use right away. No matter what the area of musical interest, the site aims to help further careers, or personal and professional music interest with content that is responsive to the needs of its community.

Said veteran producer, founder and Artists House president John Snyder, "Today, it's more important than ever for artists and music business entrepreneurs to take control of their own careers by educating themselves on the emerging technologies, techniques, and music business trends that are driving the future of music. ArtistsHouseMusic.org is Music Education 2.0—a vast, interactive online resource center providing professionals and beginners with free, expert, and in-depth information to build a career in the music business."

In conjunction with the site's official launch, a contest will give visitors the chance to submit music demos or written articles, such as marketing and business plans or education related pieces. Chosen submissions will be evaluated by a panel of industry experts, then posted on the site, along with the personalized feedback and advice from Artists House Editors.